Robert Archibald

USA – New Albany, IN

It was early season in Indiana and I was hunting with a buddy on some land that he and I had gotten permission to hunt on. We had seperately set up along a creekbed between two cornfields. Getting in position, we here excited about previously having seen several shooters in the area.
As it was getting dark, I saw two bucks making their way towards me along the side of the cornfield. One was a small framed 6pt and the other was a wide framed 8pt. They got within 15 yards, but I was unable to get shot as it was particularly think in that direction. Just before the 8pter walked into a shooting window, the 6pter blew and ran into the cornfield with the 8pter following suit. As they entered the cornfield, the one that I thought was the 8pter stopped and turned broadside at 35yds. I aimed just behind the shoulder and let one fly. As soon as the arrow hit and he jumped, I saw the smalI rack and began kicking myself.
The buck ran just 40 yards and crashed. My buddy walked over shortly after and we began to look for the blood trail. After spending 20mins looking and finding nothing and the site of the impact, we spread out along the path that the deer took and began zig zagging back and forth. Getting to the place where I heard the crash, I begin shining the flashlight around and see the deer laying on the creek bank, tongue out.
Frustrated that I did not see a blood trail, I moved closer to the deer and chuckled. The ground around and the backside of the deer looked like a slaughter house. The 100gr. Muzzy MX-3 had pierced both lungs and exited out the deer's right shoulder.
Apparently, the arrow held the blood in until the arrow shaft was snapped and then the blood came out quickly. I actually found the broadhead and 6" of shaft with 10ft of the deer.
On a few sidenotes, the 6pt buck dressed at 130lbs and the 132" 8pter was harvested during the last days of Indiana's shotgun season.